OnSiteDocs gets a $6.25 million house call

OnSiteDocs has landed $6.25 million in venture capital financing, money that it will use to continue developing a network of physicians who treat patients at the location of the injury or illness.

New investors include Benaroya Capital, Fluid Capital and Fluke Venture Partners, with total financing in the privately-held company just over $7 million.

“The big thing we are doing is getting people the appropriate care where and when they need it,” said Chief Executive Ralph Derrickson, the former managing director of venture investments at Vulcan Capital. Derrickson, who joined OnSiteDocs as chief executive in January, said the company employs four doctors in Seattle and two in the San Francisco Bay Area with a physician always on call.

Since the Seattle company was founded in 2000 by Dr. Ted Conklin, OnSiteDocs has made more than 12,000 visits to patients in homes, hotels, businesses and other locations. The 18-person company is different than most medical providers in that it does not operate a clinic. All of its calls are on site, Derrickson said.

Started as a personal family physician practice, OnSiteDocs has expanded recently with employers using it to treat employees both in the workplace and at home. Now, Derrickson said about two thirds of its business is employer sponsored. Corporate customers include Costco, Stoneway Concrete, NC Power Systems and The Westin Hotel.

Because it is a “predictable expense” and can help people avoid the emergency room, Derrickson said that corporations can save money by enrolling employees in the program. However, he is quick to point out that the service does not replace emergency room care.

“If someone has chest pains, they go to the ER,” said Derrickson. “No questions asked.”